


The Scientist

by FyreAlchemage



Series: Minelab Madness [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-18
Updated: 2017-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:53:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27505645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FyreAlchemage/pseuds/FyreAlchemage
Summary: Continuing on from The Butcher. After the arrest of the serial killer, we meet new characters... and begin to see the sinister truths, of this world.
Series: Minelab Madness [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2010211





	The Scientist

Bella Hawthorne had recently encountered a serial killer, namely Hector “the Butcher”, who worked at Hector's Fine Cuts, a butchershop. Hector had tried to kill Bella, and master detective Oskar Klein had come to the rescue.  
Bella picked up a copy of Server Update on her way to Moonbucks Coffee and read the headlines. Minelab Sector Clone Releases Prototype Hector Unit. She skimmed it, and she discovered a clone of Hector was being trained to act just like its original. That happened when people in the city of Server went missing--the Minelab cloned them.  
Bella saw nothing else of interest except Local Nerd Dmitri Einstone Granted Superbrain Award. Of course Dmitri got that award; he was one of the smartest people in Server. It was no secret he'd gotten asked to join the Minelab scientists, but he'd declined. Dmitri had only told Isabella Hazel, who had been one of the Butcher’s victims, but word still managed to get out.  
When she got to Moonbucks, she saw Kate and Dmitri waiting for her. They'd each ordered various types of coffee, and Bella did the same.  
“So,” Kate said. “How's that Update?”  
“The Minelab’s cloned Hector,” Bella said. “I'm worried he'll be evil….”  
“It might happen,” Dmitri said. “You know, cloning splits the person. The original Hector was a killer and a psycho. The clone might be either.”  
“Why do I feel like I'm being watched?” Kate asked.  
“’Cause you are,” a woman said from the table behind theirs. “The name's Kim. And this is my ridiculous associate Tim, who hates it when I call him that.”  
Kim looked much like Bella, except Kim wore red barrettes instead of green ones and her eyes were green instead of brown. Tim was blonde, though it was more a dirty blonde. His hair was tied in a long ponytail. His eyes were blue, and he wore the same thing as Kim: a red trenchcoat with a Hello, My Name Is card attached to it. On his he'd written Timothy and underlined the othy.  
“Since you're a blonde, Tim, can you still open doors?” Kate asked jokingly. Tim seemed to take that as a literal question, though.  
“Yes,” he answered. “Do not start with the insultive questions asked by many of those ignorant of the abilities of those with blonde hair. And call me Timothy.”  
“What are your abilities?” Kate asked.  
“You'll see that soon enough, I believe,” Tim said.  
“We feel the new Hector Unit will be bad,” Kim said. “You seem to agree. Want to investigate the Minelab and its Sector Clone?”  
“Sure,” Bella said. She needed a break from school, in fact, so this opportunity was perfect.  
“Then sign here,” Kim said, pointing to a sheet of paper on the table. Bella, Dmitri, and Kate signed. Tim took the paper and pocketed it, and gave them Hello, My Name Is cards.  
Once the cards were filled out and pinned to their clothes, the group left Moonbucks and headed for the Minelab. It was the biggest building in all of Server, spanning at least a hundred square acres. Within were the Sectors, where they tested different things. Sector Clone, for example, was all about cloning. Sector Moon was astronomy. There was also a Sector Program, but few went in there.  
“We're Minelab people,” Kim said to the door guard of Sector Clone. “Let us in.”  
“What's the name of our finest doctor?” the guard asked.  
“Doctor T, of course,” Kim said.  
“A day ago, yeah. There's a new sheriff in town, so guess again.”  
“Doctor Victoria?”  
“Fat chance! She's a librarian, not a doctor. You have one more try.”  
“Allow me, Kimothy,” Tim said. “The finest doctor… is Doctor P.”  
“Yes! How did you know…?”  
“You need not worry yourself with things that do not concern you, my dear,” Tim said. The guard fainted, and the group slipped past.  
“What was that?” Bella asked.  
“I… have a persuasive nature,” Tim answered.  
“How'd you know the doc's name?” Kate asked.  
“I have my ways,” Tim said. His hand went to his pocket.  
“What's in there?” Kim asked. “Did you bring…?”  
“Yes,” Tim said. He revealed a tiny glass bead tied to a long string.  
“What is that supposed to be?” Dmitri asked.  
Tim wrapped the string around his finger and began to swing the bead.  
“You should not worry yourself with that,” he said as he did to the guard. Dmitri almost collapsed too, then Tim stopped swinging the bead.  
“With this we can get anything we so desire,” Tim said. “I am not letting any of you use it though, for you must understand the object before you understand its abilities.”  
“Can your bead find the clone we're looking for?” Bella asked.  
“No,” Tim said. He put the bead away and took out a bit of wood carved into an arrow on a string.  
“Find me the clone of Hector the butcher,” Tim told the arrow. It rose and spun around, stopping when it reached a point. It was like a compass.  
The group followed the compass all the way to the clone storage. They stopped at the clone pod where Hector resided.  
Tim put the arrow away and drew a strange tool. It was a carved wooden stick decorated with stone, and it was seven inches long. Tim tapped on the steel-reinforced glass with it and drew a symbol with it. The glass melted away, and the Hector Unit awoke.  
“Hello,” the clone said. “Who are you?”  
“We are a group of people in Server,” Kim said. “We're checking you out to see if you're evil.”  
“I assure you I am very evil,” Hector said. “I will kill Oskar Klein once I'm ready to.”  
“The detective?” Kim asked. “Timothy, tell me you have a pendulum to stop him from doing that.”  
“I do, but it's in the case,” Tim said. “I can, however, use the persuasive pearl to suggest he not do that.”  
“You should just bring the entire case with you,” Kim said.  
“A wise idea,” Tim said. He pulled out the glass bead and said to the clone, “You should not resort to such violence. Merely explain your situation to someone, and I'm sure you'll feel better about it.”  
“Yeah,” Hector said. “I could…. Thanks for the suggestion--I’d’ve never thought of that.”  
The group left and parted ways, their mission done.

Timothy put the pendulums he'd brought back in the case, which was full of other pendulums. He noticed the confusion concentration--a tiny green stone--and the deathly doom--a bit of charcoal. They, being the most powerful, had never been used.  
“Don't even think about it,” Kim said. She had been sorting the books. “Also, your hair…”  
Timothy had felt it dripping. His hair often started to bleed red, for some reason, and he had to wash it five times a day to keep appearing normal.  
“You should see a doctor about that,” Kim suggested.  
“I'm sure a doctor wouldn't know how to cure this,” Timothy said. He went into the bathroom and untied his hair, then began washing it while thinking of whether the clone had truly meant what he said.  
“When you're done, could you make tonight's dinner?” Kim asked. “I've got some work to do, from Oskar Klein himself.”  
Timothy heard the front door open and close. He got the last of the blood out of his hair and went to dry it with a pendulum. Using the charms left him slightly drowsy, but he favored them over doing those mundane tasks by oneself, without aid.  
Timothy didn't know many good recipes, so he made a simple soup from the vegetables and such things around the kitchen. Just as he was placing the bowls on the table, Kim came back.  
“Luckily, it wasn't anything bad,” Kim said. “Just someone stealing a loaf of bread and ten sacks of money.”  
“That's an unusual arrangement of things to desire so much one'd steal them,” Timothy pointed out.  
“Yeah, it is,” Kim said. “The money, I get, but a bread loaf? What's the point of that?”  
“Perhaps it would be to distract the policemen so the thief could get away with the money.”  
“Good point. Hey, this is good.”  
“Thank you. I honestly didn't know what I was making until I served it.”  
“Well, it's better than anything I ever make. Care to share your secret recipe?”  
“You'll find it written on the wall in blood, near the flickering light and the cursed book.”  
“Don't forget the gore!”  
“And the skeletons.”  
“You know, we should watch a movie sometime.”  
“The Masked Massacrer?”  
“Oh yeah. With the lights off!”  
“Don't get nightmares, Kimothy.”  
A knock sounded on the door, five rapid bangs.  
“It's Kate, your new associate. There's a stalker outside Bella's house that looks like Hector.”  
“I was quite looking forward to the movie,” Timothy said.  
“Me too,” Kim said. “Let's just get this over with, then we'll go full horror movie mode.”  
“Sometimes your expressions make no sense.”

Bella looked out her window, seeing the silhouette of him. He held a carving knife. Bella saw Kate, Kim, and Tim approach the Butcher's clone. Tim used a stringed-object on him while Kim talked. Kate just watched, giving Bella reassuring glances.  
The clone pushed Kim and Tim down and stuck the knife into Kate, then turned to Bella and said, “Come on out, my dear. It's fine.”  
“It's not,” Bella said. “You… you killed Kate!” She burst into tears. Kate had been her friend since the first day of school all those years ago…. Kate had been the best friend anyone could ask for. And now Hector--no, his clone--had killed her.  
“Lionel!” Kim's voice cried. Bella saw that the clone was about to dispose of Tim as well.  
“There are no words to describe the pain I am able to feel right now,” Tim said. He was still standing, though a knife was in his back. “Don't worry, Kimothy…. I'll live through it.”  
“Hyaaaaaa!” Kim screamed as she kicked the clone away, ninja style. She was really good at martial arts.  
“You have never mentioned you could do that,” Tim said, placing a hand on the handle of the knife. He quickly wrenched it out and used a pendulum to heal himself. Then he collapsed in exhaustion.  
“Don't mess with Lionel, you bastard!” Kim screamed at the clone, who was now on the ground attempting to end its life.  
Bella approached Kim. Kim took the knife from Tim's relaxed hand and stuck it into the clone. It died.  
“That was fun,” Kim said. “So… want to come watch The Masked Massacrer with us?”  
“Isn't that a horror?” Bella inquired. “I don't like them. They're a bit too scary… and after what just happened I don't want to watch a movie anyway. K-Kate…”  
Bella ran inside, tears streaming down her face.

Timothy's eyes opened. He rubbed them a bit, then blinked a few times. Observing his surroundings, it was apparent he was in his own room.  
Timothy glanced at the clock, telling him it was about four in the morning. Hmm, what to do.  
Timothy took a book from the bedside table and began to read. The book was The Complete Book of Yōkai. He liked to study sometimes.  
A few hours passed. A light knock on the door made him set down the book. “Come in.”  
“Lionel, thank god you're alive!” Kim said. She was dressed in only a green bathrobe decorated with lighter-green trees.  
“You seem relieved,” Timothy said.  
“You've been out for days,” Kim said. She came close and said, “I was worried you'd never wake up.”  
“Do you mind not being so close to me?”  
Kim ignored him. She inched closer, wrapping her arms around him.  
“Don't do that again,” she said.  
“Noted,” Tim said.

Meanwhile, in the Minelab, an announcement was heard.  
“Attention. Attention. A clone has died. Kill the one known as Kimothy Raijin as well as her partner Lionel Maughan.”  
“Yes, sir!” every doctor, scientist, and employee said in unison. It was time.

**Author's Note:**

> The story continues in The Massacrer.


End file.
